Why is water clearer in the Caribbean?

Beneath The Caribbean (22 Min) The water is clear due to the absence of plankton and suspended particles. Plankton is the base of the food web in all oceans and, because there is little plankton in the tropics, tropical ocean water is nearly sterile in comparison with the fertile waters of the temperate oceans.



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White sand, no silt and shallow water are the main reasons for the pale blue/green colour of the carribean waters. The areas that have the cleanest, clearest waters are regions where the islands are surrounded by coral reefs, the white sand is coral debris and fragments of sea shell.

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Grand Anse Beach, Grenada One of the big attractions here is some of the clearest water in the Caribbean, the pristine sea floor sloping away gently at first and dropping off into navy blue depths. But even 90 feet from the shore, the visibility is exceptional and the sea teeming with life.

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This island nation is not the easiest place to get to, but its sheer beauty makes the journey worth it. Sitting between the Indian and Arabian seas, the Maldives' 1,000 coral islands are set in the clearest water in the world accompanied by the purest beaches.

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The waters around the Bahamas are light blue because the water is shallow. The blue color comes from the absorption of red and green light wavelengths by the water. The blue is reflected to be received by your eyes. The light blue is a response to sunlight reflecting off the sand and corals on the bottom.

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The water in the Bahamas is warmer and clearer, but the water in Hawaii is still nice and there is lots of great snorkeling. Hawaii is just nicer overall.

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Because the tropics have warm surface water, even in the winter, the thermocline never goes away, and the nutrients stay trapped down below in the depths. So even with ample sunlight, phytoplankton growth is severly limited. In the tropics, predators like coral make good use of what little plankton there is.

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The azures, aquas, and turquoises of the shallower depths are what really contribute to the unique Turks and Caicos water and are caused by light reflecting off the white sandy bottoms and off of fine white sand particles that are suspended in the ocean.

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10 Places Where You Can See the Bluest Water in the U.S.
  • 01 of 10. Crater Lake, Oregon. ...
  • 02 of 10. Tenaya Lake, California. ...
  • 03 of 10. Devil's Den, Florida. ...
  • 04 of 10. Lanikai Beach, Hawaii. ...
  • 05 of 10. Lake Tahoe, Nevada and California. ...
  • 06 of 10. Molokini, Hawaii. ...
  • 07 of 10. Jenny Lake, Wyoming. ...
  • 08 of 10. Havasu Falls, Arizona.


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Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada The snowmelt from these mountains is how Lake Tahoe has some of the freshest water in the world. The water itself is crystal clear, and the tap water sourced from the lake has been voted the number one tasting tap water in the country. And you can swim in it.

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1. Blue Hole – Santa Rosa, New Mexico.

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